Cytokine balance in pregnant women with preeclampsia

Abstract

Studies were conducted to study the levels of pro- (IL-6, IL-18, IL-17A) and anti-inflammatory (IL-4) cytokines in the blood serum of pregnant women at different stages of gestation: 18-20, 28-30, and 33- 38 weeks. The study involved 76 patients at risk of developing preeclampsia. Of these, 34 women developed preeclampsia, making up the main group, and 42 pregnant women had no symptoms of preeclampsia and made up the comparison group. The control group consisted of 28 somatically healthy women with a physiologically normal pregnancy. The average age of the examined patients with preeclampsia was 26.2±4.3 years, and in the group of pregnant women with normal pregnancy it was 25.8±4.7 years. The purpose of the study was to study the levels of cytokines IL-4, IL-6, IL-17A, and IL-18 in women with uncomplicated pregnancy and preeclampsia. These cytokines play an important role in the immune response and may be associated with the development of preeclampsia. The results of the study may help further understand the mechanisms of the disease and develop strategies for its prevention and management. The levels of pro- (IL-6, IL-18, IL-17A) and anti-inflammatory cytokines (IL-4, IL-10) were studied in blood serum by ELISA using test systems of Vector-best JSC (Novosibirsk, Russia) in accordance with the manufacturer’s recommendations. Statistical processing of research results was carried out using variation statistics methods. The results are presented as the sample mean (M) and standard error (m). The significance of the differences in the mean values (P) of the compared indicators was assessed using the Student t test (t). A study conducted by the authors found the following patterns in interleukin (IL) levels in pregnant women at risk of developing preeclampsia (PE). The levels of IL-6, IL-17A, and IL-18 were significantly increased in pregnant women with PE. There was a tendency to decrease the levels of IL-4, and IL-10 in women at risk of developing preeclampsia. These findings may help guide further research and development of strategies to prevent and manage preeclampsia in pregnant women.